United We Stand

OPINION

– By G. Miller Thompson –

Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? If you have not, you should. Toward the end of the movie, one of the most powerful scenes takes place. After Nemo escapes the dentist’s office and is reunited with his father, the two find themselves swimming amongst hundreds of grouper in the harbor of Sydney, Australia. A fishing boat’s net soon traps the school of fish to harvest them. Once imprisoned in the net, the grouper cry out for help and Nemo comes to their rescue. Nemo and his father begin a crusade for the lives of the fish by circulating a message telling the fish to swim down.

As the message makes its way through the school, the fish begin to swim downward. The grouper is a rather large fish and it is not uncommon for its weight to reach 220 pounds. Once the entire group began swimming in the same direction, the cable being used to reel in the net snapped and the fish were freed.

I have learned that animated “children’s” movies often tell the greatest stories and teach the most profound lessons. The United States can learn a thing or two from this 100 minute Disney film.

We live in a time in which political polarization has divided our nation to such an extent that repair seems nearly impossible. We find ourselves in the same situation the grouper found themselves in: captured by a seemingly unconquerable force. While the school of fish cried out and swam aimlessly as individuals, the net continued to raise them out of the water. When they united for the benefit of the whole, they were freed from their oppression.

America needs to collectively swim down. America needs to escape the oppression of intrusive government. We need a revolution. Big government does not solve problems; it creates them.

The first step to advocating any change in our nation is presenting a united front. So long as individuals with the same fundamental ideals tear each other down, or swim in different directions, nothing meaningful can happen. It does not take a rocket scientist to recognize that our elected leaders in Washington rarely can accomplish anything long-term and worthwhile. We the People, however, can.

Both Congress and the President have been receiving record lows in most polls. Despite this fact, few congressmen will lose their seats in reelection and the President is in office until 2016. These men and women work for us. We do not work for them.

Perhaps the most pressing issue of today is our economy. When the people of the United States present a united front on this issue, Washington will have little choice but to listen and take action. Regardless of your political ideology, we all can come together over the fact that a $17 trillion debt is a ticking time bomb. It is unsustainable. Many predict that this number will exceed $20 trillion by the time President Obama leaves office. Will this money ever be paid back in full? Only God knows.

We have an obligation to educate ourselves and stand together to preserve the wonderful country God has blessed us with. The news of the day is rarely uplifting, but paying attention will raise your awareness of the issues and impassion your being to take action. We, like the grouper from Nemo, must collectively swim down or our future will be catastrophic.

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The views Expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Edgefield Advertiser.